Crutches
by Dragon Courage
Summary: Red understood that her journey would be hard, she just didn't understand why Green had to be so mean about it. She knew that she couldn't walk properly, she just didn't understand why Green kept shoving it in her face. Red knew it was safer in Pallet, she just didn't understand why Green seemed so keen to make her return. Fem!Red Cripple!Red GreenxFem!Red


Step-hop-step-hop-step-hop-step  
The sound of her crutches hitting the gravel driveway kept Red company as she limped up to her porch. She gritted her teeth before stabbing the ground with her crutches again and swinging her legs forwards. While crutches were much preferable to a wheelchair or one of those new scooter things, they made her shoulders and arms ache like fire.  
Finally, she lowered herself to the blissfully cool porch and set those blasted crutches to the side. Then, careful not to spill or drop it, she pulled her basket- bag from her back and placed it carefully beside her. She often took the basket with her when she went on one of her frequent walks in the woods. During her walks she gathered pretty flowers and any herbs she could recognize. The pretty flowers she wove into little necklaces or crowns for the children of Pallet, the herbs were sorted and sent to Professor Oak's lab up the road a few blocks. There the herbs were used for various medicines and antidotes for ales of all kinds.  
As she pulled out her first handful of flowers, Red felt it as a shadow fell over her. Looking up, she was greeted with the looming silhouette of her childhood friend turned tormentor. Red internally sighed, mentally preparing herself for another unsavory encounter with the bane of her existence  
His hair, as usual, was poking up all over the place, making Red wonder if it was the result of an ungodly amount of product or if it was actually a natural imitation of a typhlosion.  
"Hey, Crutches," Green said, making Red wince. Must he always call her that? It wasn't like she had lost all ability to walk, she just wasn't as good at it anymore.  
Gritting her teeth, Red resigned herself to ignore him. He would only get worse if she acknowledged him. Carefully, she continually braiding the flowers into a hoop. It would be just the right size for a crown for little Lily who lived a block away…..  
Rough, tan hands suddenly ripped it from her fingers. With a cry of surprise, she jerked her head up to see a cruel smirk on Green's face as he ripped her hard work to pieces and dumped it on the ground.  
Fury surged through Red as she watched delicate petals fall into the dust. Gathering as much strength as she could, she grabbed her crutches and surged to her feet. On her initial step, she stumbled a bit, but that didn't stop her forward momentum, or her red-hot rage. "Green!" She yelled, "You are a colossal jerk! You arrogant pig!"  
When she got within a few steps of him, Red swung her crutch at him. It hit him in the side, and he let out an "umph!" that Red found slightly satisfying. However, Red's lead didn't last long as Green hooked his feet around her crutches and pulled them out from under her, sending her to the ground with an "umph!" of her own. As though that wasn't enough, he kicked her crutches away from her, the pain jolting through her fingers up her arms in white hot streaks.  
Leaning over her, Green's face was inches from her own and filled with malice. "If I'm the pig, then why are you rolling around in the dust?" He snarled.  
Red jerked back away from his angry, piercing green eyes and flinched, expecting a blow that never came. When she opened her eyes, Red saw him poking around near her woven basket and a spike of terror flashed down her spine. He couldn't find!...  
"Green, stop," she said, although why she expected him to listen her, she would kick herself over later. As it was, he turned back to her with one eyebrow raised and the basket in his hands.  
"Why should I? After all, you just attacked me. Why shouldn't I just dump all you precious flowers right here?" Green gave the basket a threatening shake, making Red freeze. He wouldn't…..  
"What's going on out here?" thankfully the stern voice of Red's mom intervened. Red looked over to the open kitchen window, where her mother stood with her hands sternly pressed to her hips in the universal mother's look for ' if you are doing what I think you're doing, I will tan your hide by way of my favorite hickory switch'.  
Green froze where he stood, face paling at the sight of Red's mom. He looked back at Red and sneered, "Nothing." Then, dropping Red's bag to the ground, making Red wince, he made a hasty exit by jumping over the picket fence. Within seconds he had disappeared form view.  
Red's mom sighed, going back to her cooking in silence. Ever since Red could remember, Delia had been this way. It wasn't quite depression, but to Red, it seemed just as bad. Her mom just seemed so sad all the time. Delia was like this even before Red fell out of the tree and permanently crippled her legs; although after this happened, Delia definitely got worse. Overtime it had worsened further until Delia rarely roused herself enough to show emotion on special occasions, like Red's birthday or Christmas. Sometimes, Red's mom stuck up for her around Green or all the other parents who thought Red was a wild child with all her walks in the woods. But that wasn't often.  
Red smiled at her mother, thankful anyways. Somehow, Red knew that her mother loved her, even though Delia seemed to be hurting somewhere Red couldn't see or help.  
Once her mother was again preoccupied with cooking, Red scrambled over to her crutches, using them to drag herself to her feet again. Immediately, she stumbled her way over to her basket, falling to her knees as she frantically began pulling the top layer of foliage out of the basket. Upon catching sight of lightning yellow colored fur, Red quickly used both hands to lift the little bundle out of her basket. She was SO thankful Green hadn't found the little guy.  
Soft fur covered the little pokemon. It had a small black tail and ears. On its cheeks there were red circular marks. The little pichu whimpered as Red held it, almost making her drop it. Gently, she placed it in her lap, before reaching out to grab different herbs to help heal it. Then, she gently rolled them all up in her apron, tying it so it wouldn't come undone. Next, she shoved her clutches under her and propelled her self inside.


End file.
